Walnut-picker



WALNUT PICKER.

AP'fLlcATmN FILED MAY I6. m19.

Patented Feb. 1o, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET if Waal /Ve Z547@- Z @11% NOAH NELSON, F IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIA.

WALNUT-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Ilamented Feb. 1o, 1920.

'application med 'may is, 191s. .serial No. 297,631.

i. To all whom z't'may concern.'

,zen of the United States, residing Be it known that I, N oAH NELSON, a citi'- at Imi perial, in the county of Imperial and State wheel 5. An

of California,have invented new and useful Improvements in Walnut-Pickers, of which the following-'is a specification.

My object is to make a vacuum walnut picker, and my invention conslsts of the novel features herein'shown, described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a vacuum walnut picker embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is tional detail and 3.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of Fig, 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4--4- of Fi .2.

The platorm 1 is mounted. on front drive wheels 2 and rear steering wheels 3, and the vehicle thus constructed 1s driven by an engine 4 and manipulated by a steering wheel 5. An operatoris stand 6 .extends from one side of the platfrom 1 near the steering y engine 7 is mounted upon the latfrom 1 to drive a suction fan 8.. A

rame 9 is pivotally mounted and connected to the front end of the platfrom 1 by hinges 10 and ll. The suction heads 12 and 13 are carried by the frame 9 in front of the vehicle, there being shoes14 below the suction heads and running upon the ground. otary sweepers 15 and 16 are mounted. in

on the line 2 2 of Figs. 1

front of the suction heads 12 and 13 and discharge over the shoes 14 into the suction heads. Pipes 17 and' 18 lead from the suction -heads to theseparator 19, and the pipe 20 leads from the separator 19 to the intake of the suction fan 8. The separator 19 is funnel-shaped and has a discharge opening 21. A. cylindrical casing 22 is mounted below the opening 21. A shaft 23 is mounted 1n the casing 22, blades 24 extend from the shaft, and flexible fiaps 25 extend outwardly from theblades and rub against the inner face 26 ofthe cylinder. An opening 27 is formed inthe bottom of the cylinder 22. A belt conveyer 28 is mounted with one end below the opening 27 and extends into the second separator 29. A pipe 30 leads from the diecharge of the suction fanmr8 to the' second separator 29. A sack 31 is'imounted bean enlarged fragmentary seclow the separator 29 to receive the walnuts. The bottom of the separator 29 is a coarse screen 32 large'enough to allow the walnuts to pass. J

- A belt 33 extends from the shaft of the suction fan 8 to a countershaft 34, and a belt 35 extends fromthe countershaft 34 to drive one end of the belt conveyer 28. A belt 36 extends from the rear end of the belt conveyer28 tothe front end, and a belt 37 extends from the front end of the belt conveyer to the'shaft 23, so that when-.the

blower operatesthe conveyer will operate and the shaft 23 will operate. A belt 38 runs over a pulley upon the front axle or connected to a front wheel to a countershaft pulley 39, and a belt 40 connects the second pulley 41 to a pulley 42 upon the-end of the sweeper shaft, so that -as the vehicle moves forwardly the rotary sweepers 15 and 16 will be operated.

As the walnut picker is moved over a walnut field the walnuts will pass into the suc,- tion heads 12 and 13 and through the pipes 17 and 18 and the pipes 17 and 18 discharge 19 tangentially and the into the separator walnuts will whirl in the hopper and ultimately settle and fall through the opening 21, and as the blades 24 rotate '.tlie.- walnuts will be fed through the opening`27 on to the conveyer 28, and the flexible flaps 25 will serve as valves to hold the air from passing .upwardly against lthe downflow of.

manipulating the handle 43 the suction 44 so that by heads and sweepers may be moved laterally to some extent,

as required to. get close to a tree,

or avoid hitting a tree.

Various changes may be made without departing claimed.

I claim: In a vacuum walnut picker, a platform from'the spirit of my invention as ward end of the platfrom so as to swing up and down and so as to swing laterally, suction heads carried by the frame and adapted to enga e the ground, rotary sweepers carried in ront of-the suctionheads, flexible pipes leading from the suction heads, manual means for moving the frame laterally and means for communicating power 10 from the drive wheels to the rotary swee ers. In testimony whereof I have signe my name to this specification.

NOAH NELSON. 

